Historical Cowboy Romance Two Book Box Set - Mail Order Brides (5 page)

He could tell she was a smart woman and
sometimes, he had to get a dictionary to tell him what some of the
words meant. When she asked questions about Sarah, Dean froze up
and told Marcus to not go into detail about her or his grief. He
felt that was his business alone.

Other than that, he mostly left writing the
letters up to Marcus and rarely read them. It seemed like Marcus
was doing a good job and that was good enough for Dean.

One day, during the middle of July, Marcus
showed up, waving a letter. Dean smiled because he knew it was
another one from Theresa. He’d actually come to look forward to
them.

“You’re going to love this one,” Marcus
informed him.

Dean took it and opened it.

Dear Dean,

I will come right to the point. I have
enjoyed our correspondence immensely and it seems you have as well.
I think that it’s time we meet and would like to make the trip
forthwith. Please reply to let me know if this is acceptable to you
and if so, I will make the final plans.

In your earlier missives, you have told me
that the closest railway would stop in North Dakota and that I
would come by coach from there. You warned that it would be a long
journey, but I am willing to take that risk. I have the means to
hire a first rate guide and have no fear of the journey, which I
think will be well worth any effort.

Yours,

Theresa

By the time Dean finished reading the letter,
panic had begun to set in. When it had started, he’d never expected
it to go this far. Now, half a continent away, there was a woman
who was ready to leave her life and come west to meet him.

“Breathe, Dean. It’ll be okay. Ain’t that
something?” Marcus said. His delight brought Dean to anger.

“How do I explain this to the kids? Where is
she going to stay? What am I supposed to do with her?” he said.

Marcus laughed at the fear and bewilderment
on Dean’s face. “Well, I know it’s been a while, but it’s kind of
like when you fall off a horse. You just get back on and it’ll all
come back to you.”

Dean grabbed Marcus by his shirt collar.
“It’s not funny, you idiot! I should have never done any of this. I
shouldn’t have let you talk me into it!”

Marcus laughed all the more and Dean could
have choked him.

“Dean! Knock it off! The fact is, you wanted
to do it or you never would have said so,” he said and yanked his
shirt out of Dean’s fist.

“I
didn’t
say so! I was joking! I
didn’t know you’d take me seriously and put that ad in the paper,”
Dean said.

Marcus nodded. “Yeah, but you told me to go
ahead and send a letter back. You coulda just never answered, but
you told me to write back.”

Dean stood very still as he recalled their
conversation. “Shoot! You’re right.” Dean put a hand to his
forehead. “What do I do now?”

Marcus crossed his arms over his chest and
gave Dean a speculative look. “The question is; what do you
want
to do? I think you want to meet her but you’re scared
to death. You never told me to stop writing her or tell her it was
off.”

Dean was cursing his stupidity. He felt bad
about not stopping the letters and now didn’t know what he wanted
to do. “You’re right. It’s not your fault. Let me think about it
today and I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

“Okay. That’s fine. Dean, the worst that can
happen is that things don’t work out and she goes home,” Marcus
said. “At least you would have given it a try.”

“I’ll think on it,” Dean said.

That night, Dean wrestled with the decision
that lay ahead. Should he take a risk and have this woman come?
What would he tell his children? He needed to talk to someone other
than Marcus about this. He needed a woman’s point of view.

The next morning, Dean rode his stallion,
Twister, over to the Benson’s place. At the sound of a horse’s
hooves, Lydia Benson looked out from behind a sheet she was hanging
on a wash line.

“There’s the woman I’m after,” he said with a
smile as he climbed down off Twister.

Lydia chuckled. “Don’t let my husband hear
that. He’s the jealous type.”

Her dark blonde hair was blowing in the
breeze and her brown eyes smiling up at him. She looked at Dean
closely. She’d known him and his brothers for ten years now and
could tell when something was on the man’s mind. His furrowed brow
and the look in his eyes gave him away. Dean had become a little
brother to her and she wondered what was bothering him.

She’d loved Sarah and had grieved right along
with Dean when she’d died. Lydia still felt guilty about not being
able to save Sarah and their baby. It had been another boy.

“Can we talk?” Dean asked.

“Sure, hon. C’mon into the kitchen. I could
use some coffee, how about you?” she said.

“I can always use a cup of your coffee,
Lydia,” Dean answered and followed her into their house.

The kitchen was large, as was the table. It
had to be with four children and a couple of ranch hands to feed.
Meals were lively at the Benson’s and Dean and his kids had eaten
many a meal with them. It had a homey feel to it and the surfaces
of the wooden table and benches were worn to a smooth patina from
so much use. Charlie had installed plenty of cupboards and bought
Lydia a nice buffet to house all of their dishes and various
cooking equipment.

“Sit,” Lydia said and set about getting their
coffee. When it was ready, she poured it and sat down at the table
with Dean. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure where to start. Seems I’ve got
myself into a pickle,” Dean said. “Back in May, Marcus decided to
put an advertisement in a paper back East for a mail-order bride.
He thinks I need a wife and he said this was the perfect way to
go.” The words started coming fast once he’d started. “I was joking
when I said go ahead and put the ad in. Next thing I know, a letter
comes and it’s from a woman. I read it and damned if I wasn’t
interested. She’s educated and seems very nice and doesn’t mind
that I have kids. She was really sorry to hear about Sarah and
doesn’t want to try to take her place. We been writin’ back and
forth and now she wants to come and meet us. I don’t know if I
should or not. What do you think?”

Lydia was laughing softly. “Oh, that Marcus.
I think he did a good thing. It sounds to me like you like her, or
at least her letters. You know, a lot of men are beginning to work
at getting’ wives that way. Nothing wrong with it. Do you think
your heart is healed enough to entertain the idea of meeting
another woman with the idea of proposing marriage?”

Dean felt his stomach drop at the idea. “I
don’t know. I don’t know if I could ever go through that again.
What if we get married and things are good and then she dies?”

Lydia laid a hand on his. “Dean, I know
you’re scared, but what if she comes here and you get married and
you
die? You know as well as I that your work can be
dangerous. You’re not the only one taking a risk.”

Dean looked at Lydia in surprise. He had been
so busy thinking of
his
situation that he hadn’t considered
what Theresa would face. She obviously had a lot of courage, maybe
more than he did. She would be traveling a very long distance just
to meet his family and him, without any guarantees. Shouldn’t he be
just as willing to take that step and at least meet her?

Dean gulped down his coffee, then rose and
kissed Lydia on the forehead. “You are the wisest person I know.
Thanks.” He kissed her cheek and quickly left.

Lydia chuckled as she finished her coffee and
went back to hanging her laundry.

Dean rode on to Marcus’ place. It was a
slightly run down house with only four small rooms. Marcus kept it
in fair repair, but wasn’t overly concerned with making it more
attractive because he had no intentions of getting married. His one
small barn housed two horses and a mule. An outside shed gave his
five steer shelter during the winter months. A few chickens and a
rooster roamed free on his land. Marcus didn’t have any need to
keep a lot of animals, only what he needed to feed himself.

A small vegetable garden occupied an area off
to the right of the house, where it had a nice combination of sun
and shade from a large oak tree that stood sentinel along the edge
of the patch. Roscoe, Marcus’ big mongrel, started barking and
running toward Dean and Twister. His tail wagged furiously when he
saw that one of his favorite people was there.

Marcus sat in a rocking chair on the porch
that ran the length of the house. He was whittling on a piece of
wood. It seemed like Marcus was always whittling something. He made
beautiful pieces and many people in the area hired him to make
specific things, which they liked to give as gifts and such.

He didn’t get up, just kept whittling as he
called out, “C’mon and have a seat. What brings you?”

Dean leapt up onto Marcus’ porch and dropped
down into the chair next to him. He rocked for a few moments in
silence, scratching Roscoe’s ears and petting his head. Marcus
started whistling, another one of his habits.

“Send the letter. Tell her to come ahead,”
Dean said. He got up and jumped down the stairs. Dean gathered
Twister’s reins and climbed aboard the stallion. He gave Twister a
light kick and the stallion sprang forward and set out at a canter.
Dean rode home fast, enjoying the speed of the big stallion under
him. He had to leave right after his statement to Marcus or else he
would have changed his mind. Dean knew Marcus well enough to know
that he wouldn’t waste any time getting that letter written and
sent off.

Maddie’s coming out party was everything
she’d ever wanted and more. It was a magical night surrounded by
her family, wonderful friends, and very attentive young men. Her
dance card was full and she was thrilled.

Tessa watched her little sister twirl around
the dance floor, first in one man’s arms and then in another’s. The
light in Maddie’s eyes made Tessa so happy for her sibling. She’d
decided she couldn’t leave until after Maddie’s party because it
would be cruel to cause so much sadness. There was no way she would
do anything to ruin Maddie’s night.

She’d decided to leave a little later that
night, when the party was in full swing. Her parents would be
distracted by entertaining the guests. Tessa would plead a headache
and make her escape to Edwina’s, where she’d hail a taxi and gather
her belongings. Her bags were packed and waiting in Eddie’s large
hall closet. Eddie’s driver was going to take her to the train
station, where she would catch the last train, which left at
eleven-forty-five.

Claire had been allowed to attend the party
for a short while and was in awe of the happenings. She watched the
elegant women in their beautiful gowns as they danced with handsome
men. Her excitement was palpable as she sat next to Tessa. She
watched her little sister’s sweet face and tried to memorize it.
She didn’t know how long it would be until she saw it again.

Tessa reached out and took Claire’s hand.
Claire looked at her in surprise.

“What is it?” she asked.

“All of this is wonderful in its way. I was
excited when I was first introduced to society and I know you will
be too, but don’t make it your life. You have a wonderful mind and
you should use it to do great things, but have some fun, too. There
has to be a balance,” Tessa said.

Claire smiled at Tessa. “Thank you, but why
are you so sentimental tonight?”

“I was just remembering my own coming out and
how much I enjoyed it but then later wished that I could do
something else besides attend balls and parties. So have fun with
all this, but don’t let it rule you. That’s all,” Tessa said with a
smile. Inside, she was warning herself to not let her emotions show
so much. Someone might suspect something was amiss. “I mean, aren’t
you bored already?”

Claire laughed. “That’s just like you. The
party has barely begun and you’re ready to leave.”

Tessa propped her head on her palm and
affected a bored expression. “Am I that transparent?”

Claire nodded and turned back to watch the
dancers.

Tessa watched, too, for a few moments before
noticing that Maddie was heading in the direction of the ladies’
toilet. She gave Claire a kiss and went after her other sibling.
Tessa caught Maddie in the hallway off the ballroom.

“So, little sister, are you enjoying your
special night?” she asked.

Maddie grabbed Tessa’s arm and squeezed a
little. “It’s the most amazing thing! This will sound terrible, but
so many of the men want to dance with me. I don’t understand why
you don’t love this life.”

Tessa was swept up for a few moments by
Maddie’s enthusiasm. “I’m thrilled you are having such a wonderful
time. You look very elegant and lovely on the dance floor. You
dance much better than I do.”

“Oh, stop. You dance very well,” Maddie
protested.

“Well enough, I suppose, but not with your
grace. I have a few words of caution. Just beware with whom you
dance. They’re not all being altruistic. Some of them have hidden
agendas. I’m sure it won’t be long until you have marriage
proposals thrown your way, but listen to your heart and don’t let
money influence your choice,” Tessa said.

Maddie nudged her sister. “Come now! Listen
to you, the voice of doom. I understand that you don’t enjoy this,
but I do and I don’t intend to let it stop too soon. Who wants to
get married when I can have this kind of fun? Trust me; I’m not in
a hurry to wed. But when I do, it will be with someone fun and
exciting, who doesn’t give a flip what people think.”

“Good girl,” Tessa said. She gave Maddie a
quick hug and a kiss and sent her on her way.

It was getting late and Tessa knew she needed
to go. Before she lost her nerve, she found her parents and drew
them away slightly.